Natural Gas Outages in Iowa by City

Natural gas in Iowa

• Home heating: 60.2% of 1,315,707 occupied homes heat mainly with utility gas (US 46.5%), 12th of 50 states (1 = highest). Electricity heats 24.4%, propane 12.6%, fuel oil 0.3%. Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2020–2024 (table B25040)
• Residential gas customers, 2024: 969,793 (US 73,719,064). Source: EIA, natural gas residential consumers by state
• Residential price, 2024: $10.33 per thousand cubic feet, against $14.50 nationally; 43rd of 50 states (1 = most expensive). Source: EIA, residential natural gas prices by state
• Cities we track: gas heat is most common in Cedar Rapids (76.9% of homes) and least common in Des Moines (64.1%). Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2020–2024 (table B25040)
• Winter weather record: 4,687 NOAA reports of winter storms, ice, heavy snow or extreme cold in Iowa from 2015 through 2025, most in 2019 (626); January is the peak month.
• Storm damage to gas lines: NOAA narratives mention natural gas lines, leaks or service in 5 storm episodes in Iowa since 2015. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database
• March 13, 2019, Plymouth (flood): “A gas line was sheared off by ice moving through the flood waters, severing service to 95 residences.” Source: NOAA Storm Events Database
• Housing age: half of Iowa homes were built before 1972 (US 1980), so many neighborhoods still sit on older cast iron or bare steel gas mains. Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2020–2024 (table B25035)

Checked September 2026.